What Does The House Symbolize In A Rose For Emily
Odalis Diaz
Ms. L
English 3 honors
04/30/18
A Rose for Emily A Rose for Emily is a short story that follows the life of the old south. The story begins at the huge funeral for Miss Emily Grierson. Nobody has been to her house in ten years, except for her servant which has seen things that no one has but everyone is thrilled to get a sneak peek inside. Miss Emily's house is old with a very odd stench coming from it , but was at one point the best house around. The town had a special relationship with Miss Emily ever since they decided to stop billing her for taxes in 1894. But, the "newer generation" wasn't happy with this arrangement, and so they went to visit Miss Emily and tried to get her to pay the tax debt. She refused to acknowledge …show more content…
As the story goes on, the reader begins to see how Emily and everything she loves begins to decay, Like her house, her friends, her family, and her life has decayed. Also there seems to be a nameless narrator that is telling the story. Ms. Emily’s house serves as a symbol of the American South. The house is a symbol of the former glory of a long-dead way of life. Also, it symbolizes the stifling power of the society in which she lives which makes her lower than what she should be due to the fact that she's a african american women. Societal mores dictated that Miss Emily progress from the role of daughter to wife to mother which is the normal role of a women, and there was no alternative path for her to follow. Another symbol of time is Emily's hair. The town tells time first by Emily's hair, and then when she disappears into her house after her hair has turned "a vigorous iron-gray, like the hair of an active man". When Emily no longer leaves the house people start to talk. Which makes her be judged by society, that she needed to look presentable by the other townspeople to “look or be okay”. For women it is easy to spot if they are getting old, unlike men no one
Ms. L
English 3 honors
04/30/18
A Rose for Emily A Rose for Emily is a short story that follows the life of the old south. The story begins at the huge funeral for Miss Emily Grierson. Nobody has been to her house in ten years, except for her servant which has seen things that no one has but everyone is thrilled to get a sneak peek inside. Miss Emily's house is old with a very odd stench coming from it , but was at one point the best house around. The town had a special relationship with Miss Emily ever since they decided to stop billing her for taxes in 1894. But, the "newer generation" wasn't happy with this arrangement, and so they went to visit Miss Emily and tried to get her to pay the tax debt. She refused to acknowledge …show more content…
As the story goes on, the reader begins to see how Emily and everything she loves begins to decay, Like her house, her friends, her family, and her life has decayed. Also there seems to be a nameless narrator that is telling the story. Ms. Emily’s house serves as a symbol of the American South. The house is a symbol of the former glory of a long-dead way of life. Also, it symbolizes the stifling power of the society in which she lives which makes her lower than what she should be due to the fact that she's a african american women. Societal mores dictated that Miss Emily progress from the role of daughter to wife to mother which is the normal role of a women, and there was no alternative path for her to follow. Another symbol of time is Emily's hair. The town tells time first by Emily's hair, and then when she disappears into her house after her hair has turned "a vigorous iron-gray, like the hair of an active man". When Emily no longer leaves the house people start to talk. Which makes her be judged by society, that she needed to look presentable by the other townspeople to “look or be okay”. For women it is easy to spot if they are getting old, unlike men no one